Buckshot O'Brien Basketball Classic - 2023

CALVARY CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL A N D E R S O N AT H L E T I C C E N T E R C L E A R WAT E R , F L NOVEMBER 20-21 2023 www.buckshotclassic.com

FROM MR. DAVID KILGORE & DR. WILLY RICE

Welcome to the Buckshot O’Brien Basketball Classic.

I am thankful CCHS is able to host this tournament to honor the legacy of an inspiring man—Ralph “Buckshot” O’Brien. The motto for Calvary Christian Warrior Athletics is, “Play Like a Warrior, Live for Christ.” Warriors are noble men racing into battle for causes greater than their own lives. Warriors are known for their sacrifice, the greatest of all love laid on the line for the needs and lives of others. Buckshot O’Brien embodied a true modern-day Warrior, but not just in athletic competition. He knew there is a greater cause than what happens in athletic competition. That cause is a life devoted to Christ.

Buckshot O’Brien made an impact on many through the game of basketball, but the greatest impact was his testimony for Christ.

DR. WILLY RICE

S E N I O R PA S TO R CALVARY CHURCH

MR. DAVID KILGORE HEAD OF SCHOOL

CALVARY CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL

I’m so thrilled that we can honor the legacy of longtime Calvary member Ralph “Buckshot” O’Brien with this basketball tournament. Nothing would have pleased him more.

Buckshot was a phenomenal athlete, but he was an even better person. His Hall of Fame career at Butler University, and his professional basketball accomplishments, were only the foundation of life spent serving others. He was always giving back. He spent years developing athletic leagues in his hometown of Indianapolis, some of which continue to this day. He spent decades in Clearwater as a member of Calvary. He believed so strongly in the mission of Calvary Christian High School and the development of our athletic programs. If a man’s life is defined by what he gives rather than what he has, then Buckshot O’Brien’s life was a success by any measurement. I loved the man. I’m grateful for his legacy of service and I am so proud we can honor him and continue his example through the Buckshot O’Brien Basketball Invitational.

Welcome to the Buckshot O’Brien Basketball Classic on the campus of Calvary Christian High School. CCHS is pleased to host this tournament as we remember the legacy of Ralph “Buckshot” O’Brien, a true friend to our school. For some of you attending this tournament, you may not have heard of Buckshot O’Brien. For others, you remember this inspiring man who was a strong encourager with a joyful personality. Either way, I hope you will take time to read the information about this man who loved his family, Jesus, Butler University, Calvary Church, and Calvary Christian High School.

Ralph “Buckshot” O’Brien had a rich family upbringing in Indianapolis, IN. Not financially rich, but rich in all of the other ways. Buckshot was the youngest of 13 children in his family. He acquired his nickname in front of a depression-era grocery store that was a gathering place for children on Indianapolis’ Westside. The children would compete with a chance to win an apple or candy bar from the grocery store. There was one kid so small that he was always picked last in choose-up-sides games. The grocery store owner recognized him though, and he kept saying, “You will never be bigger than a buckshot.” The nickname was given, but Buckshot would not let it control his attitude and desire to play the game of basketball.

Buckshot graduated Washington High School where he led the city of Indianapolis in scoring as a senior.

From high school, he went to Butler University where he was a star player for the Bulldogs. He was a skilled ball-handler and master of the two-hand set shot. He was the first Butler player to exceed 1,000 points, breaking the career record in his junior year. He averaged 18.3 points per game in his All-American season of 1949-50. Former Butler assistant coach Bob Dietz told him he would have averaged close to 30 points per game if the Ralph “Buckshot” O’Brien became the first Butler player to score 1,000 career points. He earned four varsity letters from 1947 to 3-point line had been 1950 and finished his career with 1,248 total points. used at the time.

Buckshot was recruited by Miami University of Ohio. During his recruiting visit, the coach told Buckshot he would not offer him a scholarship because he was too short to play college basketball. Buckshot signed with Butler University who played in the same Conference as Miami. This meant Buckshot would play Miami eight times during his college career. Butler defeated Miami all eight times they played. After each game, Buckshot would ask the Miami coach, “Do you remember me?” The rejection at Miami and his acceptance at Butler was a catalyst to lead Buckshot to a great college career and a deep love for Butler University.

Buckshot had the same rejection in recruiting by the legendary Branch McCracken from Indiana University. Was Buckshot dejected? No, it was motivation that resulted in Butler winning the Indiana Classic Holiday Tournament over Notre Dame, Purdue, and Indiana with Buckshot being the top scorer in the tournament. The motivation for Buckshot was powerful for his team to beat anyone that suggested he was too short to play for them.

COLLEGE YEARS CONTINUED Buckshot was only 5’ 8”, but his presence on the court was much larger. He had a great career at Butler University and left a legacy that is still known and respected by the University to this day. Buckshot’s final game as a Butler Bulldog was on March 9, 1950. His performance was one to be remembered forever

by Bulldog fans. Buckshot scored 39 points – a school and arena record – in a 66-65 loss at Ohio State. During his four seasons, Butler was 60-31, including a 18-5 record in 1948-49. That season the Bulldogs reached 11th in the Associated Press poll – their highest ranking until 2007. Buckshot was inducted in the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987.

Buckshot was the only player from Butler University to play professional basketball until Gordon Hayward was drafted by the Utah Jazz in 2010. Think about this--for almost 60 years, Buckshot O’Brien was the only player from Butler University to play professional basketball.

His time as a professional basketball player was only two years, but the league was different than it is now as the league was trying to gain stability and a fan base. His first year in the league was for the Indianapolis Olympians—a newly formed team for the NBA in the 1949-50 season. He then played one year for Baltimore Bullets. Buckshot is featured in the book, Playing Tall—a book written about the NBA players shorter than 5’ 10” and having played in the league.

Buckshot’s served as an insurance agent in his occupation. His success as an athlete carried over into his professional occupation. Buckshot was a life member of the Million Dollar Roundtable, the Life Insurance Industries recognition of top performing professionals. He led his primary company in sales four times and finished second 21 times. He was asked to speak at many industry conferences.

Each time, he would share two things he lived by. “Don’t read your own news clippings because those and five dollars gets you the same cup of coffee at Starbucks.”

(He taught humility.)

“Being second is good, but it just means you are the first loser.” (He was competitive to be the best.)

In 1975, Buckshot was selected as one of only five past athletes in all NCAA sports to receive the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award. The Award is given to those who have achieved a level of excellence in the 25 years past their college days.

At the awards dinner in Washington D.C., Buckshot sat at the same head table with President Gerald Ford who was named the NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award winner the same year. The following day, Buckshot, and his wife Doris, were the guests of President Ford at the White House for a personal tour.

Family was everything to Buckshot. You weren’t around him very long until you knew how much he loved his family. His family-first attitude extended into sports, church, and his career. Buckshot had a way for everyone around him to feel like they were in the family.

At Washington High School, Buckshot met Doris Tompkins. They became high school sweethearts and married in 1950. For the next 68 years, Buckshot’s love for his wife Doris was an example for all men to follow, and their marriage was a model for couples to follow. He demonstrated his love for Doris for 68 years until his passing to be with Jesus in 2018. Buckshot and Doris have three children. Two sons, Mark and Randy, and a daughter, Kyle. The O’Brien children, with the loving direction of their mother and the competitive influence of their father, continued the tradition of success set in front of them. Both Mark and Randy attended Butler University where Mark played football and Randy earned a scholarship to play golf for the Bulldogs. After college, both followed their father’s mentoring and excelled on their own in the financial services industry. Their daughter, Kyle, achieved athletic success and recognition as a high school All-American in both basketball and golf. In 1976, she was named to the first girls Indiana High School All-Star Team in basketball. Kyle decided to follow her passion for golf. She was recruited by many colleges, but chose to attend Southern Methodist University (SMU) where she excelled and was a NCAA National Champion individually, as well as leading her team to the national championship. Kyle was on the LPGA Women’s Tour for 8 years and was the LPGA Rookie of the year in 1981.

Doris O’Brien is still living and greets each day with a positive attitude. Her love for the Lord is evident to those who are around her. She lives in Waco, Texas with her daughter, Kyle, and her husband, Bill. Randy and his wife, Barb, split their time between Springfield, Illinois and Clearwater Beach, Florida. Mark went home to be with Jesus at the age of 44.

BRADENTON CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL PA N T H E R S

0

Jaden Baker

2024

1

Will Grant

2025

2

Jaffy Volcy

2024

3

Cooper Stark

2024

5

Brody Walker

2024

10

Ty Townsend

2024

21

Jayden Burnett

2026

23

Syrus Pentecost

2024

24

Landon Dempsey

2024

32

Grant Schewe

2025

33

Collier Fuller

2024

Scott Townsend Alex Sommers Nav Gill Chris Kawchek

CALVARY CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL WA R R I O R S

0 1 2 3 4 5 11 12 15 21 22 23 25 32 33

Ethan Candelario Ty Toler Owen Ingerick Jack Kouwe Nels Angelillis Rico Harris Ace Taylor Gabe Campos James Lass George Bettelli Ethan Sabec Carter Mehr Madden Geiger Ethan Jakubcin Quincy Chatman

2026 2026 2025 2024 2027 2026 2024 2025 2026 2025 2026 2024 2027 2025 2025 Keb Burley Ray Swetland Brian Quinn Matt Geiger Braxton Hampton

DURANT HIGH SCHOOL COUGARS

1

Jayden Joseph

2024

3

Matthew Suarez

2025

4

Jaziyah Giovenco

2024

5

Austin White

2024

11

Juan Lopez

2024

13

Wylde Correa

2024

15

Isaac Correa

2024

20

Ajani Peavy

2025

21

Caden Bokor

2024

23

Tyler Gonser

2025

30

Ian Ortiz

2024

34

Cesar Perez

2025

Mitch Harley Brian O'Neil Kerry Guy

GATEWAY CHARTER GRIFFINS

Trey Fogle Andrew Martinez Blake Maddox Cooper LaSalle Denzel Green EJ Monteagudo Elijah Dantley Gabe Timmons Jose Marquez Joseluis Brenes Josh Laughlin Juan Ibarra Myles Jones Noah Cutler Patrick Johnson

2025 2027 2024 2027 2024 2024 2026 2024 2027 2025 2024 2025 2025 2024 2025 RJ Jones Samy Berette Ray Farrell Eddie Moore

PROVIDENCE SCHOOL S TA L L I O N S

0 1 3 4 5 10 11 13 14 15 20 21 24 25 30 33 45

Josh Stallings Chris Arias Brady Patterson Jacob Sweat Anthony Norman Caleb McAbee David Fonville Cameron Silhan Abdul Mansaray Jaxson Long Mason Williams Ryan Stuart Cameron Ross Jaylen Wilkerson Luc MacClellan Will Rydzewski Anthony Prevalon

2024 2024 2024 2024 2024 2024 2024 2025 2024 2024 2025 2024 2025 2025 2024 2027 2025

Jim Martin Matt Santoni Tyler Martin Jason Hughes Calvin Warner Dejan Vekecki

ST. PETERSBURG HIGH SCHOOL GREEN DEVILS

0 1 2 3 4 5 10 11 15 22 23 24 25 32 55

Zachary Davis Zack Spinazola Emir Gainer TJ Sam Daniel Extra Zakaria Chajar Tim Hayes Keyon Clarkson Ryan Lang Julian Macon Ollie Bickford Jeff Jones Kai Prebble Zy Adams Trenton Himes

2025 2026 2026 2025 2025 2025 2025 2024 2025 2025 2023 2025 2025 2025 2025

Chris Blackwell Ric Lenholt Joe Denmark

THE VILLAGES CHARTER B U F FA L O

0 1 2 3 4 5 10 11 13 14 15 21 23 24 33

Bill Allen Adyn Corbin Jared Thompson Jack Flanagan Brisun Hammermeister Ethan Bevis Kyle Staun Nick D'Alessandro Ben Koubek Kymani Weathers Allen Milow Deonte Sessler Jomar Bernard Aaron Britt, Jr Chris Washington, Jr

2024 2025 2026 2024 2026 2026 2025 2025 2024 2026 2025 2024 2027 2027 2026

Colt McDowell Anthony Santana PJ Foster Logan Betzer Dewaine Lewis Marty Dzuro

WHARTON HIGH SCHOOL W I L D C AT S

2

Nick Womack

2025

3

Tyson Jefferson

2023

4

Caj Plante

2023

5

Huntley Nicholson

2023

10

Lucean Milligan

2024

14

Landon Koenemann

2023

15

Trey Hill

2025

21

Rodrigo Cruz

2023

23

Anthony Jones

2025

Shawn Vanzant Tony Johnson Angel Morales Shawn Robinson

BUCKSHOT O’BRIEN BASKETBALL CLASSIC Matt Geiger (born September 10, 1969) is a former professional basketball player who played in the NBA for 10 seasons.

Matt was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and moved to Clearwater, FL as a young child. He later graduated from Countryside High School in Clearwater, Florida in 1987. While at Countryside High School he was named an All-PCC selection his senior year while averaging 15.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and three blocked shots per game.

He earned a scholarship to Auburn University, where he played two years. As a sophomore at Auburn, he averaged 15.9 points per game while leading the team in rebounds, field goal percentage and blocks. After a coaching change, Geiger transferred to Georgia Tech for his junior and senior years. He averaged 11.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while playing on a perennial nationally ranked team with six teammates that continued playing professionally in the NBA.

His successful college career led Geiger to be selected by the Miami Heat with the 42nd overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft.

Matt played three years in Miami where he averaged 7.0 points and 4.3 rebounds. In November 1995, Geiger was traded, along with Glen Rice, to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Alonso Mourning. He played three season in Charlotte while increasing his scoring to 10.7 points per game as well as 7.0 rebounds per game. After his third year, Geiger was a highly sought after free agent and signed a six year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. He played four seasons with Philadelphia, including playing in the 2001 NBA Finals where his 76ers lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neil. During his time in Philadelphia, Geiger averaged 9.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. After multiple injuries, he was forced to retire from the NBA in 2002. During his 10-year career, he played in over 500 games and accumulated over 5,000 points and 3,000 rebounds.

Geiger retired in 2002 and opened Courtside Grille, an upscale sports bar and restaurant in St. Pete, Florida. He now resides in Odessa, Florida with his wife, Maryann, and their three children Mattix, Madden, and Maxton. Matt now enjoys spending time with his family, coaching his boys basketball teams, hunting and building things in his wood shop.

Autographs

2023